One thing I love about working at the Victory Seed Company is that we have made so many friends over the decades. So many folks have been supporting the work that we do here since our beginning and many of you probably remember the little notes that my Mom would write on your orders. Some of you even got an opportunity to talk to her on the phone.

Although it may seem a little odd to some people to see an obituary on a company’s blog, hopefully you know us well enough to know that we are not a typical company. We consider you all to be our gardening friends, our supporters, and our extended family. So it is with sadness that I am reporting the passing of one of our family members, my Mom.

If it was not for my mother, there would be no Victory Seed Company. Plain and simple. Like mothers should be, she was instrumental in developing my character and encouraging my interests. Mom was a hands-on, teach by example, kind of mother. I give her credit for sparking my passion for gardening and the natural world. She was an example of kindness, compassion, charity and humility. Mom lit an entrepreneurial spirit in me and supported all of my life decisions. She will be sorely missed.

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Carole Blythe Dunton, 73, of Liberal, Oregon passed away at home on March 24, 2014 after a long battle with breast cancer. She was surrounded by loved ones as she drifted off to be with the Lord.

Carole was born on December 14, 1940 in Colton, Oregon to Walter A. Axmaker and Mildred Freeman Axmaker. She is survived by her husband of 53 years, Lawrence Dunton; two children: Mike (Denise) Dunton of Liberal; Deborah (Charles) Sang of Bloomington, Illinois; eight grandchildren and five great-grandchildren. She is also survived by two brothers, two sisters and the many relatives of her large extended family.

When she was a young mother and homemaker in the early 1960s, she used her entrepreneurial spirit to help subsidize the family’s income by providing daycare services and custom seamstress work. As her children grew older she reentered the workforce and held various office, banking and bookkeeping positions. After “retiring” in the late 1990s, she used her skills and talents to help at the Victory Seed Company that her son founded on the family’s farm.

Throughout her life, Carole loved to garden and to create beautiful landscapes. She said that she felt closest to Jesus while working in her flower gardens. After her illness progressed to the point where gardening became too difficult, her creative talents were redirected towards making beautiful quilts which she shared with the special people in her life. Her memory lives on through these quilts.

Carole touched the lives of many people over the years; sharing her love of God and her passion for life. She loved being with her husband, children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She also loved her animals, singing, sewing, needlework, crafts, cooking and baking. She was a devoted wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin and friend.

A service celebrating Carole’s life was held on May 3rd at the Evangelical Community Chapel of which Carole was an active member. Private entombment in the family’s mausoleum on the farm was held with immediate family members in attendance.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Carole’s memory to the Evangelical Community Chapel (29079 S Highway 213, Molalla, OR 97038).